Planet Saturn, retrograde since early March 2014 in Libra, will cease retrograde motion on 20 July, and then go direct. Planets represent concentrations of life force. Their placement in different signs represents the exertions of life-force in those areas which are signified by the planet's occupation. Retrograde means "do-good". Saturn ceases retrograde motion and resumes its slow forward motion. We look to some aspects of this Saturn direct movement as Saturn is seven times more powerful than the Sun.

Rahu and Ketu are always 180° apart. This constitutes an axis known as the Rahu-Ketu Axis or RKA. This axis is important as it divides the horoscope into two parts. This axis has a special relevance in health and disease and is of importance to medical astrology.

Both Rahu and Ketu are considered as malefics and any planets falling in the Rahu-Ketu axis get damaged. As Rahu and Ketu are both non-conformist, the damage tends to be revealed as unorthodox - opinions, beliefs, views, non-conformist to expectations and the status quo. While Rahu and Ketu are very good for the spiritual pursuits a person may have, they tend to damage the material dimensions of life.

On Monday, 14 July, the Rahu-Ketu axis will change from the Libra - Aries position it has held for the last 18 months. Ever retrograde, these shadow planets will retrograde out of Libra and Aries and move to a Virgo - Pisces axis early in the morning, where they will remain for the next 18 months. We look to the likely effects of this transition between signs and consider conjunctions and aspects.

Mars is currently encountering Rahu, and under the astrological dicta, Sani vat Rahu (Rahu behaves like Saturn), some reckon that a time of tension occurs as these to graha - seizers of energy - approach conjunction and change houses. Both planets will be sandhi, that is, somewhat depleted of energy as they are within one degree of house - sign boundary. This is not graha yuddha, planetary war. This will pass quickly.

However, planetary war will take place when Mars moves out of sandhi into Libra and gets to within 1 degree of Saturn. Some astrologers have told that this will be months of doom and disaster in various places on our planet. Some have said, inter-alia, that the four horsemen of the apocalypse will ride, and the end of an age with all its dreadful appurtenances will occur. We examine this phenomena from a spiritual discipline.

Guru Purnima is on 12 July. This year, the Guru Purnima occurs with a Full Moon in Sagittarius. What is unique this year, and only happens every 12 years, is that Jupiter will be exalted in the 8th house of transcendence in 2014. We look to the significance of this event, and consider the spiritual energies around this event and the following days.

This day of May 11, 2014 is Mohini Ekadashi. Mohini, as astrologers recall, plays a central role in the story of the two nodes, Rahu and Ketu. The demon Swabhanu engaged in deception as Mohini was doling out the amrith to the gods and at the same time, bestowing her bounteous beauty and enchantment upon the asuras - demons - who had fought the gods for the right to partake of amrit, the nectar of immortality. Mohini is the only ever female incarnation of Vishnu, the god of sustenance and preservation of kalapurusha, time and space.

The great palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin commenced his Mass on the World with "Since once again, Lord—though this time not in the forests of the Aisne". So once again, it behooves jyothishas' to pay some attention to the Cousins – those who practice and follow western (tropical) astrology. Some western astrological websites are expecting major world events with the Cardinal Grand Cross occurring April 20-24th with Mars squaring Pluto, Uranus and Jupiter and then the oppositions between Jupiter and Pluto and Mars and Uranus. With respect to our astrological cousins, we look to this matter as it is a period straddled by two eclipses: the lunar eclipse of 14 April and the solar eclipse of April 29.

Many years ago, perhaps in the early days of awakening in the New Age movement, the times of the 11-11 portal openings, many seers and visionaries were reporting that a time of three days of darkness was to come; there would be no light, no electricity, and humanity would be living in darkness. As most of humanity would be in ignorance of this, this was expected to be a time of terror and extreme reactions by persons unable to cope with such a catastrophe, as some would call this. It is now understood that in the last three months, this "wall of darkness" has occluded the light, and darkened the inner light to some extent in the social, intellectual, physical and spiritual domains of the person.

In the days of yesteryear, perhaps many yugas past, Vega was the pole star, and Abhijit nakshatra was counted among the nakshatras for both electional astrology and timing of events. It is told that the Kauravas - in the Mahabharatha war, went to strenuous efforts to prevent Lord Krishna from starting this war under the auspice of Abhijit, for it was well known that any project commenced under Abhijit would come to success.

The Solar New Year begins when the Sun enters the sign of Aries in the zodiac. This is a traditional time when one casts a kundli or birth chart for the nation in order that one might ascertain what is ahead for that country in the forthcoming year. Other jyotisha may use the annual varshapaal chart; using the entry of the Sun, Lord Surya, into Aries is also taken as well-established. In this note about the Solar New Year, we would speak of the role of the outer sun and the inner sun in our lives, the placement of the Sun for the coming year and its relation to the Fourth (and other dimensions) and the story of Hanuman swallowing the Sun. The Sun then gives the gift of the Vedas to Hanuman.

Mid April of 2004 is a time when the Solar New Year is immediately followed by a lunar eclipse; 14 days later there will be a solar eclipse. The day of the lunar eclipse is also the festival of Hanuman - the first Star-being who over-sighted this planet (and cared for it) and also the Varnara who served Lord Rama, the one who loved God the most. Between these eclipses, the Cardinal Grand Cross will occur in the heavens. These are significant events accompanying the return of the 4th Dimension. In this post, we will take a look at the importance of this Solar New Year, the significance of Hanuman immediately following, and give some astrological observations about eclipses.

Leadership is a multi-dimensional activity, an acquired skill, duty and responsibility. Leaders have followers; if there are no followers, then there is no leader. Leaders embody a vision, and employ their skills to procure the fulfilment of task needs, group needs and individual needs. They may have a range of innate skills, learned skills, and knowledge about themselves, their task, and about the other people they lead. One great teacher of humanity tells that leaders know their people as well as their mothers do, and care for them better.

So we present a question about kundli charts (horoscopes) and leadership and where leadership is discerned> How does astrology address the dimensions of leadership?

Shadow planets Rahu and Ketu are ever retrograde in their motion. Forever chasing Sun and Moon in order that they might avenge their separation by Sun and Moon after the Churning of the Ocean. With such action, they cause the eclipse of Sun and Moon. As planets, they move through the birth chart and gochara (transit) in backwards - retrograde - moving motion and every 18 months, change signs and their all - important Rahu-Ketu Axis, which has significance for nations and their leadership in particular. They also elicit, by their transit and retrograde motion, changes within the human person. Rahu and Ketu affect all with their transits. During June of 2014, Rahu and Ketu will change signs (peyarchi).